Report: United triggers options on four players
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Manchester United triggered contract options for four players on Tuesday, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The Red Devils picked up 2023-2024 options for England duo, forward Marcus Rashford and left-back Luke Shaw, as well as Brazil midfielder Fred and Portugal right-back Diogo Dalot.
Romano notes that both Rashford and Dalot are expected to be offered longer extensions, while talks are also ongoing with goalkeeper David de Gea.
Rashford, 25, is a product of the United academy and made his first team debut in 2016. The Manchester native has scored 63 Premier League goals over 218 appearances across eight seasons. This season, Rashford has four goals in 14 appearances. Internationally, he's been capped 51 times by the Three Lions and has scored 15 goals, including three at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Shaw, 27, arrived at Old Trafford in 2014 in a £30 million move from Southampton. He's made 158 league appearances in nine seasons. A native of Kingston upon Thames, Shaw has been capped 28 times by England and appeared in all five of their World Cup matches in Qatar.
Dalot, 23, came to United in 2018 in a £19 million transfer from Porto. After failing to gain traction in the first team and a loan spell at Milan, Dalot became a regular last season under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick and has retained his place under Erik ten Hag this season, making 20 appearances across all competitions. He made three appearances for Portugal at the World Cup.
Fred, 29, also came to United in 2018, arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk in a £47 million transfer. He's made 115 league appearances for the club over five seasons. Internationally, he's been capped 32 times for the Selecao and made three appearances at the World Cup.
Triggering the options prevents United from losing the quartet for free at the end of next season. Players entering the final six months of their contract are free to negotiate with teams in other countries.
The Red Devils are fifth in the Premier League on 26 points, three adrift of Tottenham Hotspur for the final Champions League spot with a game in hand on Spurs. The team returns to action on Wednesday with a League Cup date against Burnley at Old Trafford before resuming league play on Dec. 27 at Nottingham Forest.